The Author Next Door

Before you start setting ambitious publishing goals for 2027, take a look at the author business you've already built! In this short solo episode of The Author Next Door , Angela Haas shares five practical things every indie author should do before December 31st to evaluate what's working, simplify what's not, and prepare for a more productive new year. Whether you're publishing your second book o...

What happens when two authors share one fictional world, seven character perspectives, and wildly different ideas about who should survive the next chapter? Authors Jeff Elkins and JP Rindfleisch IX return to The Author Next Door to celebrate the release of Season Two of NRDS: National Recently Deceased Services , their queer paranormal comedy about an underfunded federal ghost-hunting agency that...

What does it take to turn a writing career into a thriving author business? Sometimes it starts with a little crime scene tape and a willingness to talk to strangers. Former Milwaukee police sergeant and returning guest Patrick O'Donnell joins Angela and Cassie to share his journey from writing crime thrillers to publishing true stories from his 25 years in law enforcement. But Patrick isn't just...

What happens when the book you're supposed to be writing isn't the book your creativity wants you to write? Romantic fantasy author Alycia E. Anderson joins Angela and Cassie to talk about balancing romance and fantasy, navigating reader expectations, building immersive worlds without overwhelming readers, and knowing when a manuscript is finally ready to leave your hands. Alycia also shares how g...

What makes a romance dark? Is it the spice level, the themes, the characters—or how far an author is willing to take the reader emotionally? In this episode of The Author Next Door, Angela Haas and Cassie Newell talk with dark romance author Kelly R. Nelson about writing emotionally intense stories, handling difficult themes, and finding the balance between darkness, vulnerability, romance, and he...

What happens when romantic attraction collides with the need to stay in control? And how do you make the moment a character finally gives in feel earned? In this episode of The Author Next Door After Dark, Angela Haas and Cassie Newell compare Dirty Dancing and The Idea of You to explore how romantic tension, societal expectations, and personal vulnerability influence the way love stories unfold....

What makes a side character memorable without letting them take over the entire story? In this episode of The Author Next Door, Angela Haas and Cassie Newell dig into the craft of writing supporting characters who feel like real people instead of background furniture. They explore why side characters need their own voices, motivations, and lives beyond the protagonist, while also serving a clear p...

What happens when the characters you want to read about are not the characters you keep seeing on the page? In this episode of The Author Next Door, Angela Haas and Cassie Newell talk with urban fantasy author Deborah Wilde about her journey from screenwriting to novel writing, creating older female protagonists, finding her voice, and building an indie author career around the stories she actuall...

What makes a book adaptable for film, television, theater, or even one of the rapidly growing new storytelling formats? In this episode of The Author Next Door, Angela Haas and Cassie Newell talk with actor, writer, producer, and creator Jennifer Lieberman about what authors should understand when they begin dreaming about taking a story beyond the page. Jennifer shares insight into what makes cha...

A strong author brand is bigger than one book launch. In this episode of The Author Next Door, Angela Haas and Cassie Newell talk with Mickey from Creative Edge Publicity about how authors can use public relations, media opportunities, and consistent visibility to build a recognizable author brand over time. Mickey shares practical advice for indie and traditionally published authors alike, includ...

Can your character drink a Coke? Mention a favorite movie? Name the song playing in the background? What happens if you actually quote the lyrics? And should you trademark your book title? In this episode of The Author Next Door, Angela Haas and Cassie Newell tackle some of the copyright, trademark, and fair use questions indie authors regularly encounter while writing, publishing, and building th...

In this episode of The Author Next Door , Angela Haas and Cassie Newell use the Amazon Prime adaptation inspired by Carley Fortune’s Every Summer After as a case study in what happens when romantic chemistry does not fully carry from page to screen. They explore the emotional investment readers bring to adaptations, why nostalgia cannot replace chemistry, and how changes in pacing, characterizatio...

In this Quick Bites episode of The Author Next Door, Angela Haas and Cassie Newell explore an underrated writing tool: the way words physically appear on the page. They talk about how white space, sentence length, paragraph breaks, fragments, and even unfinished thoughts can influence pacing and emotion. From fast-moving fight scenes to quiet romantic beats, the shape of the prose can change how q...

In this Quick Bites episode of The Author Next Door , Angela Haas and Cassie Newell use the Amazon Prime series Ride or Die to explore how writers can create stronger, more believable female characters. Spoilers ahead for Ride or Die — so if you have not finished the series yet, consider this your playful warning to come back after you have. They talk about why strength does not have to mean emoti...

In this episode of The Author Next Door After Dark , Angela Haas and Cassie Newell dive into one of the most addictive parts of romance: dialogue. They explore why readers often fall for the conversation before the kiss, and how banter, subtext, and verbal tension can pull two characters together long before either of them is ready to admit what is happening.  They talk about internal versus exter...

In this episode of The Author Next Door After Dark , Angela Haas and Cassie Newell talk about how romance tension works when desire and emotional wounds are pulling against each other. They explore emotional vulnerability, conflict, enemies-to-lovers dynamics, intimacy scenes, and the challenge of writing a third-act breakup that actually feels earned. The conversation also looks at how POV, dialo...

In this episode of The Author Next Door After Dark , Angela Haas and Cassie Newell open the door to all things trope and explore why romance readers never seem to get tired of the familiar.  They talk about how tropes function as both story structure and marketing shorthand, why readers still want surprise even when they know the setup, and how layering main tropes, micro tropes, and character tro...

In this episode of The Author Next Door After Dark , Angela Haas and Cassie Newell explore what actually makes spice work in romance writing and why emotional connection matters more than shock value. They talk about trust, chemistry, vulnerability, and how character dynamics shape the effectiveness of intimate scenes. The conversation also covers spice levels, reader expectations, consent, and th...

In this episode of The Author Next Door After Dark , Angela Haas and Cassie Newell talk about how romance tension works when power, desire, and emotional wounds are all pulling at the same relationship. Spoilers ahead for Off Campus — so if you haven’t watched the show or read the books yet, this is your friendly warning to come back after you have. Using Off Campus as a case study, they explore b...

In this episode of The Author Next Door , Angela Haas and Cassie Newell host a special panel from Superstars Writing Seminars focused on what it really means to build community in the writing world. Featuring Mark Leslie Lefebvre, Todd Fahnestock, Steve Ruskin, and James A. Owen, this conversation explores how Superstars began as a small gathering and grew into a conference people return to year a...

In this episode of The Author Next Door , Angela Haas and Cassie Newell sit down with Kara Infante of Bookish Flights and Gigi Howard of Drinks in the Library to talk about how they built thriving book communities around their podcasts and platforms. They share what it takes to grow a community both organically and intentionally, how authentic engagement creates trust, and why connection matters m...

In this episode of The Author Next Door , Angela Haas and Cassie Newell explore the difference between having an audience and building a real community as an author. They talk about why so many authors chase visibility instead of connection, how social media can distort our sense of progress, and why newsletters often become a stronger long-term tool for reader engagement. The conversation also di...

In this episode of The Author Next Door , Angela Haas and Cassie Newell kick off Networking and Community Month with an honest conversation about what authentic networking really looks like for authors. They explore why networking is really relationship-building, how reciprocity shapes healthy author communities, and what they’ve learned from both strong and disappointing connections in the writin...

In this episode of The Author Next Door , Angela Haas and Cassie Newell close out Business Month with an honest conversation about the parts of author business that rarely make it into the polished success stories: money, brand behavior, and the pressure to publish faster than your life or creativity can actually sustain. They talk about why money conversations matter, how every public move become...

In this episode of The Author Next Door , Angela Haas and Cassie Newell sit down with Nicole Fronek to talk about what it really takes to balance creativity with strategy in an author business. Nicole shares practical insights on building a roadmap, managing time and resources wisely, and creating systems that support both the creative and operational sides of a writing career. The conversation al...